The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is a huge area of rivers, canals and fertile farmland. Much of Vietnam’s rice, fruit and vegetables comes from this region, but what makes it particularly interesting to visit is life on and around the water. I wanted to experience more than just a quick day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, so I booked a two-day Mekong Delta tour with an overnight stay in Can Tho. The tour included temples, islands, local food, several different boats and, of course, the famous Cai Rang Floating Market. Was everything equally authentic? Definitely not. But as a first introduction to the Mekong Delta, I thought the two-day trip gave me a good mix of scenery, local life and some very typical organized-tour moments.

My 2-day Mekong Delta tour

Before traveling to Vietnam, I booked a two-day, one-night tour with Vietnam Adventure Tour from Ho Chi Minh City. The tour cost USD 99 based on two or more people. As I was traveling solo and wanted my own room, I paid USD 120 in total.

Transportation was included throughout the tour, which meant I didn’t have to arrange the vans, motorboats, rowing boats, tuk tuks and bicycles myself. The price also included accommodation in Can Tho, meals, water and an English-speaking guide. For me, that convenience was one of the main reasons to book a tour because the Mekong Delta covers a large area and in two days we moved between many different places and types of transport.

My tour started in Ho Chi Minh City. I took a Grab from my hotel in District 3 to the tour office in District 1, as this was the meeting point. I also brought my suitcase because, unlike the rest of the group, I wasn’t going back to Ho Chi Minh City after the tour. My plan was to stay in Can Tho and continue from there to Phu Quoc. We were lucky with the group too: only three travelers, plus our guide and driver.

Vinh Trang Pagoda

Around 7:30 in the morning, we left Ho Chi Minh City and drove south towards My Tho and Ben Tre. Our first stop was Vinh Trang Pagoda, one of the best-known temples in the Mekong Delta. The complex has several temple buildings and large Buddha statues. After an explanation from our guide, we had some time to walk around independently and take photos before continuing towards the river.

If you prefer traveling independently, a homestay around Ben Tre could be a nice alternative to an organized Mekong Delta tour.

Unicorn Island: honey and tea

At the Tien River in My Tho, we boarded our first motorboat of the day. The river was dark brown with quite a strong current, but once on the water the Mekong Delta experience really started. We stopped at Thoi Son Island, also known as Unicorn Island, where we visited a small bee farm, tasted local honey and drank tea with bee pollen before moving on to the next part of the tour. These stops are clearly set up for visitors, but I still enjoyed seeing all the different parts of the delta and traveling between them by boat.

Phoenix Island: rowing through the palms

The next stop was Con Phung, or Phoenix Island, where we transferred to small rowing boats. This was probably my favorite part of the first day. Wearing a traditional Vietnamese nón lá hat, we slowly moved through a narrow canal surrounded by palm trees. It was peaceful, green and exactly the kind of Mekong Delta scenery I had hoped to see.

We later stopped in a small village where tropical fruits were served while local musicians performed traditional folk music. The performance was fun to experience, although I don’t think they were about to win The Voice of Vietnam. There was also an opportunity to hold a snake. That was both scary and a little sad to see, so I happily stayed with the chocolate tasting instead.

The coconut candy stop

Next came a tuk tuk ride to a coconut candy factory in Ben Tre, an area known for its coconuts. This was probably the most obvious tourist-trap moment of the tour. The factory was extremely busy and although it was interesting to see how the coconut candy was made, there was obviously also plenty of opportunity to buy souvenirs and candy. It’s one of those stops that seems to appear on almost every organized Mekong Delta itinerary. Interesting enough to see once, but not the highlight for me.

Dragon Island: lunch and cycling

Our motorboat picked us up again and took us to Dragon Island, where lunch was waiting. We had a traditional meal with a whole fish and vegetables, which was both well organized and tasty. After lunch, bicycles were available for anyone who wanted to explore the island. Like a true Dutchy, I obviously got on one.

There wasn’t exactly an extensive road network, but that was part of the fun. I cycled along the quiet road, stopped at a small temple and got to see a little more of the island away from our lunch stop. If cycling isn’t your thing, hammocks were available too. With a fresh coconut in hand, we eventually returned to the boat and continued by van towards Can Tho. By then all three of us were asleep in the van. Apparently boats, bikes, tuk tuks, tropical heat and endless impressions do add up.

The exact order of stops can vary between Mekong Delta tours, but many two-day tours include similar experiences.

Overnight in Can Tho

We arrived in Can Tho in the late afternoon after crossing what felt like an endless number of bridges. It really makes you realize just how much of this region revolves around rivers and waterways. Our overnight stay was at Wink Hotel Can Tho Ninh Kieu Wharf, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The hotel was modern and comfortable, with compact rooms and a rooftop pool with a great view over the city. One thing I particularly liked was the hotel’s 24-hour stay concept. If you check in later in the afternoon, you can also check out later instead of being tied to the usual 11:00 or 12:00 checkout.

After checking in, Can Tho is easy to explore on foot. Walk along the riverfront, find somewhere for dinner and enjoy the evening atmosphere. I went for a hot pot and wandered around the city, but don’t stay out too late if you’re visiting the floating market the next morning.

My alarm was set for 4:30 AM for the Cai Rang Floating Market.

Cai Rang Floating Market

Our boat left Can Tho at 5:30, which at least meant we got to watch the sunrise from the river. It took around half an hour to reach the main floating-market area. I had been looking forward to Cai Rang Floating Market, so this may be slightly controversial: I found it a little disappointing.

There were boats selling pineapples and other produce and it was fun to experience the river early in the morning. But during my visit it felt much more tourist-focused than I had imagined beforehand. Perhaps my expectations of a huge traditional floating market had simply been too high. I’m still glad I saw it, though. The sunrise boat trip, the activity on the river and buying fruit from a boat are all part of the experience. I just wouldn’t travel to the Mekong Delta for the floating market alone.

Go early. The river is livelier in the morning and you also avoid the worst heat of the day.

Rice noodles and the Ocean Cleanup

After the floating market, our tour continued to a small rice-noodle factory. Here we saw how the noodles are made and even had the chance to try part of the process ourselves. It was a short stop, but fun to see how something you eat all over Vietnam is actually produced.

Back on the river, I also spotted one very recognizable Dutch contribution: an Ocean Cleanup Interceptor. Seeing the amount of waste in the river also made it painfully clear why it is needed.

Should you stay in Can Tho?

I decided not to return to Ho Chi Minh City with the tour group. Instead, I stayed in Can Tho for another night, which also meant I could get some sleep after that 4:30 alarm. The rest of the group continued with the tour before returning to Ho Chi Minh City, while I went back to Wink Hotel for a while and later moved to Can Tho Ecolodge.

The Ecolodge is outside the center in a much greener farmland setting. It has large rooms, a beautiful swimming pool and a quieter atmosphere, which was exactly what I wanted at this point in my trip. My room was around USD 80. For me, staying an extra night worked really well. The tour had been busy, so reading a book beside the pool and having a power nap felt like a perfectly legitimate sightseeing activity.

My Grab to the Ecolodge cost around 120,000 VND and took about half an hour. From the Ecolodge to Can Tho Airport I paid around 200,000 VND for a 45-minute ride.

From Can Tho to Phu Quoc

Another reason I stayed in Can Tho was that I didn’t need to return to Ho Chi Minh City at all. I continued directly from Can Tho to Phu Quoc by plane. This fitted my Vietnam itinerary much better and saved me an unnecessary journey back to the big city. You can compare flights and the slower overland and ferry options from Can Tho to Phu Quoc through 12Go Asia. If Phu Quoc is next on your itinerary, ending your Mekong Delta tour in Can Tho can save you a lot of backtracking.

Was the 2-day Mekong Delta tour worth it?

For me, yes. Some stops were definitely touristy and Cai Rang Floating Market wasn’t quite what I had imagined. But the tour gave me an easy way to experience a large part of the Mekong Delta without spending days organizing boats and transport myself. The small rowing boat through the palms, cycling on Dragon Island, traveling along the river and staying overnight in Can Tho were the parts I enjoyed most. I also liked that I could adapt the standard tour to my own itinerary. Instead of returning to Ho Chi Minh City, I stayed in Can Tho, had an extra day to relax and continued directly to Phu Quoc. For a first visit to the Mekong Delta, two days felt about right.

Where are you heading next? Continue to Phu Quoc or head back to Ho Chi Minh City.